Ho Chi Minh City's authorities ordered bars, pubs, karaoke parlors and crowded events to temporarily shut down from July 31 until further notice amid new Covid-19 developments.

In Ho Chi Minh City, gatherings of more than 30 people outside schools and hospitals are banned. Photo: Tuoi Tre newspaper

The city’s People’s Committee requested district-level authorities to focus on the prevention of the pandemic in the locality, urgently review the disease fighting plans as a new wave of coronavirus cases has hit Vietnam since last weekend.

The committee asked people in the city to wear face masks in public places or on means of public transport, wash hands with soap or sanitizer, and keep a safe distance in social interactions.

Crowd-gathering events include festivals, fairs, investment promotion conferences, and other non-urgent meetings have to be ceased. Local people are warned against gathering in big groups at weddings or funerals.

Gatherings of more than 30 people outside schools and hospitals are also banned. Virtual conferences are encouraged whereas only essential meetings are allowed to be held with attendance in person in accordance with regulations of the heath sector. 

Public offices are ordered to conduct body temperature checks and wear face mask. 

The request came briefly after two Covid-19 infections were confirmed in Ho Chi Minh City on July 29.

Localities reestablish social distancing

From midnight of July 28, Danang impose social distancing orders in the entire city after three locally-transmitted infections were detected in the beach city within three days from last weekend. 

Phu Yen and Quang Nam provinces temporarily shut down tourist attractions from July 29 while the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak also decreed social distancing orders, starting from midnight of July 30, after a local resident returning from Danang city was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

The ancient town of Hoi An, one of the most favorite destinations for tourists, also implemented social distancing from 12am of July 31 for 14 days. 

As of July 31, Vietnam has reported 93 community-acquired cases, all traced back to Danang, since the confirmation on July 25, after having gone 99 days without a documented local transmission. 

About 21,000 people of Hanoi visited Danang over the past days while the number in Ho Chi Minh City is 18,000.

So far, sources of the local infections remain unclear but all the new cases are linked to some hospitals in Danang.